Corruption Is A Mental Disease, Not A Wife's Fault: Response To Mahfud MD's Vice Presidential Candidate Statement

Vice Presidential Candidate number three Mahfud MD gave a political oration at the Cijantung Al-Qur'an Islamic Boarding School, Ciamis Regency, West Java, Friday (15/12/2023). (Between/Adeng Bustomi)

JAKARTA "Many corruptors are now in prison, because of the demands of his wife. The salary is only Rp. 20 million, the expenditure is Rp. 50 million, the salary is Rp. 2 million, the expenditure is Rp. 5 million, which is demanded from her husband," said Mahfud MD.

The statement was made by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs while attending the National Halakah and Inauguration of the Al Wasilah Dhikr Council in Padang City, West Sumatra, Sunday (17/12/2023).

A video clip when Mahfud MD uttered the sentence went viral and sparked a negative reaction from the community, especially women who did not agree that they were considered the cause of the corruption of their husbands.

Realizing that his remarks caused a commotion in the community, this candidate for vice president number three provided clarification through X's social media account. Mahfud considers the news titles that are spread to provoke a somewhat cynical impression and response, even though when viewed in full, his statement contains praise for mothers.

According to religion, the role of mothers is important as a door to heaven for children and as a pillar of the state. A child can get heaven because he was born and cared for by good mother's actions," Mahfud MD wrote on his X account.

But rice has become porridge. What has already come out of the minister's mouth, although according to him the viral video is not intact, many people have commented on.

Deputy Coordinator of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) Siti Juliantari Rachman assessed that Mahfud MD's statement seemed to simplify the extraordinary practice of corruption that occurred in Indonesia.

"The statement wasngawurdanngaco. Corruption was withdrawn even into the domestic realm between the wife and husband, even though it was outside of that," said Juliantari.

Juliantari said that the practice of corruption actually occurred because of the abuse of power for personal interests by corruptors. In fact, it is possible that corrupt practices occur as retaliation.

"For example, in the context of procurement of goods and services, he then directed certain companies to win tenders because the company may have been a campaign fund contributor," said Juliantari.

Mahfud MD is actually not the first person to make a statement that his wife is the cause of husband's corruption behavior. Even the head of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Alexander Marwata in 2019 said that officials who were caught in corruption cases were one of the reasons for being pushed by their wives.

"Because many husbands fall into corruption, one of them is driven by his wife," said Marwata.

Mundur di tahun 2016, mantan Komisioner KPK Basaria Panjaitan juga mengatakan hal sama. Ia menuding behavioral hidup konsumtif dan sikap berfoya-foya bisa memicu suami melakukan korupsi.

"Especially if you happen to have a husband who occupies a strategic position in the government, it can be possible to take something that is not his right," Basaria told reporters in Ambon.

Psychologist Tika Bisono emphasized that the current corrupt practices in Indonesia have nothing to do with his wife. According to him, rampant corruption in Indonesia is a structured and systematic problem.

Tika also highlighted the weakness of prevention, law enforcement, supervision of an agency, causing high levels of corruption in Indonesia. Weak law enforcement against corruptors has a psychological effect that corruption is common.

"As long as there is no deterrent effect, this corrupt behavior will continue. Corruption is a very serious mental illness, even perpetrators of corruption seem shameless when caught in corruption, this is a mental illness, "Tika told VOI.

Corruption occurs not only at the top level, but starting from the lower level. Corruption has even become a hobby, habits, characteristics, and culture in Indonesia. This is very severe," he added.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar National Winning Team (Timnas AMIN) Eva Kusuma Sundari emphasized that Mahfud MD's statement was gender biased and reflected the misogynist or women-hating.

"It's sad because she talks based on bad prejudice such as the expression that rape is triggered by women's gender, or women's sources of immorality," Eva told reporters.

On the same occasion, Eva said Mahfud MD's statement was a typical patriarchal society who believed in men's superiority and secondned women.